Placement Requests for September

In the near future,
teachers and the school administration will be meeting to place students into
next year’s classes.
As a
team, we look at the needs of each student and at the characteristics of each
class that we create.
Some of the
considerations for class placements are:

Gender balance

Diversity

Academic needs

Social dynamics or needs

Special learning needs

Date of birth

Teaching and learning styles

Creating classes is
comparable to a giant jigsaw puzzle.
When assigning children to classes, we need to ensure that each class is
balanced according to all of the criteria listed above.
As an example, we try to obtain an equal
ratio of boys to girls.
This process takes
hours of deliberation and discussion and we appreciate your trust in our knowledge
and professional judgment.

We appreciate input from parents in regards to placement. Please see the information below in regards to Parental Input guidelines.

Placement
requests are made to address a very significant concern or to meet a need that,
if not met, will cause significant challenges.
Teachers should already be aware of the situation, and home and school
should already be working throughout the year to address it.

Teachers
have the primary responsibility of placing students.
They use their in-depth knowledge of each
student
and the dynamics of their classroom to guide them.Parent input must be sent by email to the Principal and to the teacher, or be made in writing to the Principal.

We
do our best to take into account parent input.
Unfortunately,
there are times when we are simply not able to do so.
(For example, a parent may request that their
child go with her group of friends.
However,
we may not be able to do this because we need to ensure a gender balance.)

We
will not consider requests for specific teachers.

Parent input is considered at our Placement Meetings which occur at the end of April.

In conjunction with School
Council, we have created a “Frequently Asked Questions” document for your
reference.
It is available on the school
website.
We hope that it answers many of
your questions or concerns.

The
deadline for submitting placement requests this year is Friday, April 26, 2019

In September, students will
be given time to “settle in” to their classes.
If your child continues to have difficulty adjusting, we can meet to
discuss how we might best support.
We do
not consider moving a child as a first step.
Rather, we start by working together to implement and monitor in-class
solutions.
Any placement changes would
be made after a variety of interventions has been implemented, and would occur
at a natural break in the school year.

If you have any questions, please
contact the
Main Office at 416-393-9305